Between 1915 and 1935 the University of Chicago was the center for the production of innovative sociological research that unearthed the marginalized existence of unconventional Americans. Referred to as the Chicago school monographs by social historians, these works brought acclaim to the country’s premiere graduate program in sociology. Working at the shadowy margins of the city, these Chicago school scholars dramatically examined the lives of delinquents, prostitutes, gangsters, and homeless men. Their work harmonized with narratives of proletarian and pulp fiction and the serialized newspaper accounts of urban vice and deviance. This book offers a survey of some of these key monographs such as The Unadjusted Girl, The Hobo, The Jack-Roller and The Taxi Dance Hall.

Roger A. Salerno is a professor of sociology at Pace University in New York and a practicing psychoanalyst.

Roger A. Salerno
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 196
Bibliographic Info: 7 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2007
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2990-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1067-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

1. Sociology Noir and the Chicago School Monographs      5

2. W.I. Thomas and Robert E. Park: Chicago Noir      29

3. W.I. Thomas and the Unadjusted Girl      55

4. Nels Anderson and the Hobo      87

5. Paul G. Cressey and the Taxi Dance Hall      119

6. Clifford Shaw and the Jack-Roller      143

7. Conclusion      159

Bibliography      175

Index      185

“of interest…beautifully written and organized…Salerno has a deep appreciation for these works and weaves them into his book with great skill”—Contemporary Sociology.